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Meddybemps

Greetings from frigid, snowy, icy, windy, rainy, warm, and then frigid again, Meddybemps, Maine. We missed the ice storm and power outage as we were in Pennsylvania with family for Christmas. We are most thankful to Mike Johnson who took care of and kept our home warm during the blackout. Mike and Terry Reynolds plowed the snow. We arrived home to freshly plowed access to our driveway and back door.

Happy Birthday wishes to Jean Voelker on January 12. She is Maxine Palmeter’s daughter, lives in Orono with her husband and son; but is a frequent year-round visitor to her hometown of Meddybemps.

Janet Wooding’s daughter, Martha, arrived from New Jersey the day after Christmas until the New Year. Janet said, “the last part of her journey from Augusta was slow because of the snow falling, and the last thirty miles were not good, especially 191. But she arrived safely about 5.30 p.m. The power came on again that night at 10.00 p.m. I was so fortunate to have one of our parishioners from Calais pick me up and take me to mass on Christmas Day. I couldn’t imagine not going to church on Christmas Day and I was also playing the organ.”

Janet further noted, “The ice storm was very destructive. But, everywhere was incredibly beautiful when the sun came out, one of my trees had little rainbows all over it as the sun went down one evening – breathtaking! The tree crew came down our lane cutting branches off the power line and then down my driveway doing the same thing. They also cut down a silver birch that had bowed right over the driveway, which was kind of them. There will be a lot of clearing to do in the spring.

Indeed, everywhere we look from Meddybemps to Calais and Machias, are utility lines and trees bowed low from the accumulated crust of snow and ice. We’ve had a few short power outages since last Thursday -- the result of winds pushing together the heavy limbs and wires. But with the bad comes some good. Sunlight glistening upon ice encrusted surfaces created a brilliant prism of dancing light and reflections in a rainbow of sparkling hues.

Many around the community have been shoveling off their roofs. The various layers of snow, ice, and more snow have put a great deal of weight on our roofs. This has also caused ice dams and roof leaks for some. With the latest rain and above freezing temperatures, followed by more frigid temperatures, roofs will have to bear even heavier loads if not shoveled off before the next round of weather.

Chickadees and assorted wildlife seem a bit confused with the mercurial weather scenario. Barry was out shoveling a path to the bird feeder the other day. It was -3 degrees. He saw a little Chickadee clinging to the side of an icy tree as though it was trying to peck at some food through the ice. Barry went over to it and gently petted its back, and then it suddenly flew way. He is not sure if it was so still because of the cold, or was weak from lack of food. Quite a number of birds are now back at the feeder. Even a red squirrel ventured out of hiding, traveling from tree limb to tree limb to reach the feeder. Strange weather seems to create even stranger behavior in our wildlife.